Another holiday in The Grenville Hotel, Bude, firstly on the windy beach with Daniel and his kite and then as we invited the Butterfields back for a meal and to hear of their problems for which they might have to sell their house and down-size as the Tory government runs into more trouble for cutting back on DHSS funding and yet increasing civil service pay
Diana was up early again as the baby awoke at 4.00am, but I slept in until our morning drinks arrived on time at 6.50am. Everybody washed, dressed and down to breakfast at 8.00, where we had our normal fare and enjoyed it as usual. Daniel took Debbie down to the swings and Susie and her father joined them, before they spent a good long time in the nursery with the resident nanny. Eventually, Susie left and Debbie swam in the hotel pool with Daniel, even though it was quite cold and windy out. I then walked into Bude to get a paper whilst Diana used the hotel laundry room to catch up on some washing. By then it was lunchtime and so we went to a restaurant for lunch, intending to go to the Natural History Museum afterwards, but it was closed – as Thursday is half-day closing. After, we set off for the beach, loaded to the gunwales with play things, surfboard, swimming things, camera etc, but found both swimming beaches flying the red flag and only Middle beach flying the chequers for surfing. We erected two wind breaks against the wind and then Daniel and I assembled the kite for the first time. It worked well and, after a few attempts, we got the hang of the dual controls and were performing stunts; figure of eight, circles (8 in each direction in a single go) and the best trick of all (unintentionally) was to wrap the tail around a man’s neck on the promenade of Crooklets beach, which caused us much mirth and made him retire hastily!
The wind and cold was too much for the girls, who had a drink at the beach café and went back to the hotel whilst we were learning more tricks for our stunt kite. As we left the beach, Daniel and I looked enviously at the large surfs rolling in and the antics of experienced surfers taking full advantage of them. Once back in the hotel, quickly undressed, bathed, shaved and changed and then off by car to Holsworthy to collect the Butterfield family. Alf was not coming, but Freda, Christopher, Stacey and baby Sean was, and so we set off back to Bude with them very appreciative of the ride in my air-conditioned Jaguar. Once back at The Grenville, we put Sean in the room with Diana and went down to the bar where it was another novelty for them to drink in a hotel. Daniel and Debbie join us for a drink before Debbie has to go to bed and, with Diana’s arrival, we all go in to dinner. The Bude evening had cleared and we sat in glorious sunshine, with fine views of Bude Bay and harbour as we drank and ate. A good meal with the Butterfields having a sea food platter in good portions. Freda told us of their plan to sell the Manor House and move into a smaller place in Pyworthy with no mortgage and less overheads. The children seemed disappointed with this sudden development (as well they might) and we feel that it is most pre-emptive and unwise, though we could not argue against it as it is their business. The evening well enjoyed and I took them home. Poor Stacey had an asthma attack, but recovered once home with her spray medicine. Back to Bude and to bed after 11.30pm after chatting to Diana about their plight – they always seem to leap into things on the spur of the moment and regret the consequences, but much of it is to please Alf who, at 59, is 15 years older than Freda and unoccupied as Freda is the wage earner and must work another 15 years to pay for their mortgage. It seems sad that they keep moving and forcing separation with their children and this is a repetition of past events all over again. No time for the TV news today, but I overheard further reports of the government defending its DHSS review from claims of further cutbacks and a mounting crisis in the prison service as the rise in prison population is causing bad overcrowding. Large pay increases granted to senior civil servants are also in contrast to the poor increases being offered in the teacher’s dispute.